Review: Suspect

Suspect by Robert Crais
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the Cole/Pike novel, The Promise, prior to this and was introduced to Scott and Maggie there. Getting their backstories here was great fun.

Maggie is amazing, and the parts from her POV help make her a real and substantial character. I am not sure how a whole novel that way would go for a dog's POV, but it'd be an interesting attempt!

Scott is a kind of a dope at times. He makes some bad decisions and things could have gone much worse for everyone. The plot itself is a bit far-fetched, and never really engaged me. But Scott's relationship with and rehabilitation through and with Maggie was what made the story. The moments between them were the best parts of the book.

The Cole/Pike novels are better; but I would read more Scott and Maggie -- if only for Maggie!

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Review: Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets

Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets by Christopher Farnsworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Farnsworth takes the helm on the Jesse Stone series. He does a very good job; much better than Lupica. Hard to pin point why; but the story just flows better. It feels less like someone doing a Parker imitation; I think Lupica was always reaching for trying to sound just like Parker and to emulate(unsuccessfully) his wit. Farnsworth doesn't try to do that and so it feels more authentic.

The plot is fairly straightforward but engaging. Some of the set up for the plot points could have been a little better, but they end up working well enough. The main focus here -- unlike the last few books -- is on Stone and the bad guys. Molly and Suit are there but the story doesn't go through them. James Naughton continues to be the perfect narrator for the Stone series.

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Review: Hour Game

Hour Game by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The former secret service agents, King and Maxwell, have teamed up to run a private detective agency. After a murdered woman is found, there is soon another murder and things just continue. After realizing they have serial killer on the loose, King and Maxwell get deputized and help the authorities find the killer. King eventually pieces it all together, but not after a lot of people get killed.

I like the characters and Baldacci builds the mystery and suspense well. Like the Split Second, though, things get complicated; there are a lot of characters and plot pieces to keep track of. Annoyingly, a lot of King's detecting takes place off screen, so it is hard to put things together yourself.

Still, it's a fast-paced, well-told story with interesting characters.


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Review: Pale Gray for Guilt

Pale Gray for Guilt by John D. MacDonald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

McGee doesn't have a client here; in some ways he is his own client -- and his own salvage job. Things got a little convoluted with the scheme they ran. The middle part dragged a bit and was a little longer than it needed to be. The last third really picked up though and it got more interesting. I found the exploration and development of McGee through his relationship with Puss and Meyer to be intriguing and well done.

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Review: Robert B. Parker's Fallout

Robert B. Parker's Fallout by Mike Lupica
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is in so many ways great to be able to read the continuations of the characters Robert Parker created. The continuations are, nonetheless, mixed. Lupica's Stone is enjoyable, the stories move quickly and Lupica colors within the lines of the original stories. He doesn't really push things or the characters (that can be good and bad). It's a pastiche that reminds you of the things you loved about the original. His novels are a bit like an episode of a long running, loved tv show. You enjoy the show and characters, even if the episode is not that original or in itself that compelling.

As I've listened to the Lupica Stone novels, I've mentioned the things I don't like. Lupica's Stone is too Sunny obsessed; he's more passive in the driving of the plot; the language, humor is at times not quite right; too many he says, Molly said; and Lupica relies too much on the stock characters from the Spenser-verse. (On that latter point, the narrator, who is overall very good didn't get the voices right for Tony Marcus and Spike).

This story was a bit too convoluted and bit all over the place -- at least for the first half. The second half is much better and the ways turn out was much more compelling than I was expecting. Some of it was foreseeable, but Lupica threw just enough surprises in there to keep it interesting.

This is the last Stone novel by Lupica since he moved on to the Spenser novels. I am interested in seeing (or rather hearing) where Farnsworth takes Jesse Stone. I have, as you might guess, my concerns about Lupica writing Spenser. I'll try to keep an open mind.

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Review: Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was surprisingly really good! My contrarian instincts kicked in with the movie coming out and all the hype I was hearing, so I didn't expect too much. But I was quickly sucked in and really enjoyed it. I laughed out loud at several points, it is genuinely funny at points. The character development and story telling is well done; there are a few surprises and I really didn't know how the book would end. The sciences part were really interesting and thought-provoking. Interesting philosophical, moral, and scientific questions are raised. I've heard speculation about a sequel; and while I'd love me some more Rocky and to know more about how things turned out on Earth; I'm not sure a sequel would work. But Weir seems like a talented writer, so maybe.

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